Siheyuan, a comfortable life under Zhengyang Gate

"Director Yang, Lord Hou, Master Geng... Thank you."

In a restaurant, Gao Shuiwang invited Yang Yukun and his group to dinner to express his gratitude to Yang Yukun and his group for their help.

When comrades from the relevant department found him, Gao Shuiwang was working in his workshop.

When people from the relevant departments said that he was a tomb robber and that he was making and selling counterfeit goods, Gao Shuiwang was really shocked.

What happened?
He is not a tomb robber at all, nor does he make or sell counterfeit goods.

He did imitate Northern Wei Dynasty pottery figurines and Tang Dynasty tri-colored glazed pottery, but what he imitated were all handicrafts, and he never sold them as real things.

When he learned that the things he made appeared in large numbers in the antique market in the imperial capital, his first reaction was confusion.

After careful investigation, he realized that he had been completely deceived by the relevant authorities who had traced him.

He has a big client who bought hundreds of Northern Wei pottery figurines and Tang sancai handicrafts from him in the past two years and recently.

obviously.

This big client sold the handicrafts he bought from him as authentic ones, and they were eventually discovered and bought by experts from the Forbidden City Museum and other institutions, which led to him, the counterfeiter.

Although he did not sell the items directly as authentic products, they were indeed made by him, and there was no clear mark on the items to prove that they were handicrafts.

Fortunately, Yang Yukun and his team helped to intercede for him, otherwise he might have been put in jail this time.

The Broken Marquis said, "Xiao Gao, is it okay for me to call you that?"

"My Lord, you are the senior and I am the junior. It is of course okay for you to address me like that."

Gao Shuiwang was born in 1958. Polan Hou is older than his father, so there is nothing wrong with calling him Xiao Gao.

"I'm very curious, how did you learn this skill?" Gao Shuiwang is not very old.

At the age of thirty-five or thirty-six, his skills were so amazing that he deceived a large number of experts in the field of ceramics, including those at the Forbidden City Museum, by making his works so realistic.

“Director Yang, Lord Hou, Master Geng…, our Nanshishan Village has been making a living by restoring unearthed Tang Sancai since the 1920s.

Nowadays, almost every household in our area is engaged in the production of Tang Sancai handicrafts, and this has become the pillar industry of our local economy.

I was born in Nanshishan Village. In such an environment, I naturally embarked on the industry of imitating ancient ceramics.

I am a person who is very strict with myself. I cannot accept any flaws in the things I make and I strive for perfection.

In order to improve my skills, I learned from many masters.

In order to compare with the originals, I searched hard for unearthed Tang Sancai fragments in Beimang Mountain, went to museums to observe the shapes and colors of the originals, and kept trying to choose the most suitable materials for production.

Constantly studying the composition of glazes, firing temperatures, and aging techniques.

It’s already amazing if others can achieve 80% or 90% similarity, but I can achieve a very close resemblance to the real thing.”

The reason why Gao Shuiwang chose this path is closely related to the environment in which he was born and grew up.

But his pursuit is different from others, and he can endure loneliness better than others.

While others can't wait to become masters and make money, he has been burying himself in the workbench all year round, studying hard and improving his skills.

It is already amazing if others can imitate something that is 80% or 90% similar, but for him, 80% or 90% similarity can only be considered a defective product.

Eventually, through his own efforts, he mastered the art of imitating ancient ceramics.

Each of the Northern Wei Dynasty pottery figurines and Tang Dynasty sancai figurines he produced were extremely similar.

Otherwise, the Northern Wei Dynasty pottery figurines and Tang Dynasty sancai he produced would not have caught the attention of so many top ceramic experts.

"Xiao Gao, you are a genius, a genius who can endure loneliness and work harder than others."

"Thank you for the compliment, Lord. Before this, I thought that no one could easily see through my imitations of Northern Wei Dynasty pottery figurines and Tang Dynasty tri-colored glazed pottery. I didn't expect that you and Director Yang could see through them at a glance. It seems that my level is not high enough. I need to continue to work hard to improve my skills."

Master Geng sighed and said, "So many of us didn't see it, and it was only with Director Yang's prompting that the clouds were cleared and the sun was shining."

"Director Yang, I admire you."

Yang Yukun is a few years younger than him, but he can see the flaws in his work at a glance, which is even more powerful than Sun Wukong's fiery eyes and golden pupils.

After returning this time, Gao Shuiwang will continue to improve his skills according to Yang Yukun's suggestions and strive to make his skills perfect.

He hopes that one day in the future, even Yang Yukun will not be able to see through the works he creates.

"Xiao Gao, I hope you will consider my proposal carefully. Our Forbidden City Museum needs talents like you."

"Master Geng, thank you for your appreciation of me. I'm very sorry." Gao Shuiwang once again rejected Master Geng's invitation. He will continue to return to Nanshishan Village to study his skills.

At the same time, he also plans to open a training class to pass on the Tang Sancai firing technique, accept a few apprentices, and pass on the Tang Sancai firing technique from generation to generation.

The Forbidden City Museum was not suitable for him, so he could only say sorry to Master Geng again.

"Everyone has their own aspirations. I won't force you." Master Geng felt somewhat regretful after being rejected by Gao Shuiwang again.

"My Lord and Director Yang, are you interested in holding a consultant title in our Forbidden City Museum?"

Master Geng looked at Hou Polan and Yang Yukun. The identification skills of this master and disciple were very high.

So many experts failed to realize that the Northern Wei Dynasty pottery figurines and Tang Dynasty sancai fired by Gao Shuiwang were imitations. Only Polan Hou and his apprentice Yang Yukun could tell that they were imitations.

This requires not only profound knowledge, but also strong experience and vision.

The Forbidden City Museum also has many things that need to be appraised. Master Geng hopes that Hou Polan and Yang Yukun, the master and apprentice, can be given the title of ceramic consultant in the Forbidden City Museum.

If they are undecided about something, they can ask Hou Polan and Yang Yukun for help.

"Forget it. I'm already 72 years old."

If he were twenty years younger, Lao Geng would have invited him to work as a consultant at the Forbidden City Museum, and Hou Polan might have agreed.

But now, he is 72 years old this year, so he should just enjoy his old age at home.

"Master Geng, I'm a lazy person. I'll just be a consultant to the Forbidden City Museum. If the Forbidden City Museum really needs my help with something it's not sure about, I'll be happy to help."

Yang Yukun also rejected Master Geng's invitation. He had no interest in being a consultant at the Forbidden City Museum.

"Okay." Master Geng sighed.

Gao Shuiwang was not invited, and even Polan Hou and Yang Yukun rejected his invitation.

Marquis Paola said, "Old Geng, you are already retired, why are you still worrying about these things? Can't you just enjoy your retirement life? Can you worry about this and that? Let the young people worry about it."

"I'm worried. Now that I'm not old and confused and can still walk, I should use my remaining energy to pass on my experience to young people so that they can avoid taking detours."

Master Geng retired ten years ago, but he still can't sit idle after retirement.

When he is free, he will still visit the company, guide the young people and make use of his remaining energy.

"Hello comrade, please bring us another bottle of wine." After finishing the wine, Gao Shuiwang asked the waiter to bring another bottle.

After having a good meal and drinking, the group came out of the restaurant after finishing dinner.

Gao Shuiwang had to take a bus back to Zhongyuan Province overnight, and Yang Feng was responsible for driving him to the train station.

"Director Yang, Lord Hou, Master Geng... We will say goodbye now and see you later."

"Lao Gao, if you come to visit the capital, I'll treat you to a delicious meal."

"Okay, you are also welcome to visit Nanshishan Village."

"Have a safe journey, Xiao Gao."

"Director Yang, Lord Hou, Master Geng...thank you again for your help."

"You're welcome. This is not your fault in the first place."

"I'm leaving."

"Let's go, Fengzi, drive and be safe."

"Okay, great grandfather."

After watching Yang Feng escort Gao Shuiwang away, Paola Hou said, "Let's withdraw as well and go back to our respective homes. Old Geng, come to my place for tea when you have time."

"Row."

"Master Geng, fellow experts, goodbye." After parting with Master Geng and his group, Yang Yukun first sent his master home.

"Master, I remember you have a Northern Wei Dynasty pottery figurine imitated by Lao Gao in your hand, right?" On the way back, Yang Yukun asked his master with a smile.

"You are just bringing up things that are not relevant to the topic." Hou Polan scolded with a smile.

Gao Shuiwang's imitations were indeed impressive to him, and they were displayed in his study. (End of this chapter)